SITA Technology: Facilitating a Seamless and Secure Travel Experience

In response to growing security concerns and recent terrorist attacks, aviation technology provider SITA has formed a coalition of U.S. airport stakeholders that seeks to support and enhance international standards and recommended practices for airport security through the use of innovative technologies.

“Our goal is to help facilitate a more secure and efficient passenger experience from reservation to destination, particularly throughout the airport, which is one of our most vulnerable targets,” says David Menzel, Sales Director, Government Markets, SITA. “Collectively, the air transport industry community needs to rethink our approach to getting passengers through the airport quickly and safely.”

This Secure Journeys Working Group (SJWG) will promote ideas for the use of innovative concepts and technologies in enhancing airport landside security, enhanced screening solutions for passengers and baggage at security checkpoints, and improvements in access control to create a more secure journey.

Secure Journeys is enabling airlines, airports and governments to create a safer and better passenger experience from reservation to destination

One way a number of airports are leveraging technology to minimize wait times and mitigate crowding in non-secure areas is through queue monitoring and management. Providing real-time dashboards and live video to assess current wait times, as well as analysis of real-time information against historical data, is allowing airports to better predict requirements and allocate resources to avoid bottlenecks.

Other promising technologies include the use of biometrics to help secure the airport against identity threats. Once a passenger’s biometric details such as a facial scan or fingerprint are captured at the first touch point in the journey, a secure single token is created, eliminating the need to present travel documents at later points in the journey.

“We recognize the industry's collective work to address the ever changing and evolving security threats, and seek to support these principles through recommendations that use technology to address security gaps and vulnerabilities,” says Menzel. “Our goal is collaborate and share ideas on innovative technologies for the advancement of public safety and security in airports.”